1998 Most Valuable Player Award 2nd runner up - Sammy Sosa, DBL Fishbiscuits AVG OBP SPC G AB H 2B 3B HR R RBI BB K HBP IW SB CS .293 .358 .618 162 670 196 14 0 68 128 180 70 184 2 6 11 4 Sosa found a new source of power, taking his game up a notch. His 68 home runs was 2nd best in the league, his 180 RBI was 2nd best in the league, and his 128 runs scored was 7th best in the league. Sosa and the rest of the Fishbiscuits sluggers almost led the 85-win team to the playoffs but missed out in the final days of the season. ------------------------------------------------------------ 1st runner up - Mark McGwire, Manhatten Beach Mashers AVG OBP SPC G AB H 2B 3B HR R RBI BB K HBP IW SB CS .312 .445 .756 162 581 181 17 2 79 142 170 141 190 5 9 5 0 For McGwire, it was all about the long ball. McGwire's 79 home runs set a new CDBL record. He led the league in runs with 142, was 3rd in on base average and slugged .756. His 170 RBI was 3rd best in the league, and was tops in walks with 141. McGwire almost but not quite led his 86-win team to the playoffs, getting beat out on the final day of the season. ------------------------------------------------------------ 1998 MVP - Alex Rodriguez, Avila Dragons AVG OBP SPC G AB H 2B 3B HR R RBI BB K HBP IW SB CS .325 .372 .579 162 673 219 26 5 45 133 181 43 112 9 4 50 12 With young Alex Rodriguez, the sky is the limit. While playing the demanding position of shortstop, Rodriguez finished 10th in batting average, 3rd in runs, tops in RBI (with 181 RBI), bashed 45 home runs and stole 50 bases. Rodriguez was a key contributor to the Avila Dragons, who won 104 games and posted the best record in the GT conference. ******************************************************************* 1998 CDBL Cy Young Award 2nd runner up - Greg Maddux, Encinitas Surfers ERA OPS OPSvL OPSvR W L S G GS CG SHO INN H R ER BB K HR GDP BF 2.53 .603 .581 .629 18 8 0 37 37 3 2 256.0 218 83 72 44 181 19 32 1006 Is there ever a year where Maddux isn't in the Cy Young running? Maddux finished 3rd in ERA with a 2.53 ERA, tied for 3rd in wins with 18, finished 3rd in allowed OBP with a 0.269 rate, and was 3rd with runners per 9 innings with a 9.5 rate. All while pitching 256 innings, 2nd best in the league. His pitching wasn't wasted either, as the Surfers captured the Gehrig division pennant. -------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st runner up - Jamie Moyer, California Kamados ERA OPS OPSvL OPSvR W L S G GS CG SHO INN H R ER BB K HR GDP BF 3.00 .674 .718 .662 20 7 0 36 36 6 2 251.2 252 96 84 37 146 16 22 1028 Moyer was a workhorse for the Kamados, pitching in 251 2/3 innings, 3rd most in the league. Moyer's 20 wins was best in the league, and Moyer was the only pitcher to win 20 this year. His 3.00 ERA was 7th best in the league, and his 10.8 runners per 9 innings was 9th best. California had a lot going for it this year, posting the best record in the majors, and Moyer helped out greatly in that. -------------------------------------------------------------------- 1998 Cy Young - Omar Daal, California Kamados ERA OPS OPSvL OPSvR W L S G GS CG SHO INN H R ER BB K HR GDP BF 2.04 .516 .684 .462 19 3 0 27 27 4 3 189.1 129 54 43 47 133 9 8 741 Omar Daal wasn't particularly durable, lasting only 189 1/3 innings, but when he pitched, he pitched very well. Daal's 2.04 ERA was best in the majors, and his 19 wins was 2nd only to teammate Jamie Moyer. His 86.% win percentage was tops in the league. Daal led all starters in on base (.246) and slugging percentage (.270) allowed His 8.6 runners per 9 innings was almost a full runner better than 2nd place. ******************************************************************* 1998 CDBL Fireman of the Year 2nd runner up - Mike DeJean, Springfield Isotopes ERA OPS OPSvL OPSvR W L S G GS CG SHO INN H R ER BB K HR GDP BF 2.94 .693 .656 .741 3 6 38 63 0 0 0 70.1 72 30 23 23 19 4 16 290 DeJean put up elite closer numbers, finishing 2nd in saves with 38 and 5th in save percentage with an 88.4% conversion rate. His 2.94 ERA wasn't bad either. The Isotopes finished with a losing record this year, but their 24-21 record in 1 run games showed it wasn't due to DeJean blowing the save in the 9th. -------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st runner up - Billy Taylor, Madison Muckrakers ERA OPS OPSvL OPSvR W L S G GS CG SHO INN H R ER BB K HR GDP BF 1.98 .595 .659 .500 10 5 37 72 0 0 0 86.1 65 21 19 24 52 7 10 344 Billy Taylor collected gaudy stats like some folks collect baseball cards. Taylor won 10 games in relief (2nd best among relievers), saved 37 games (3rd best in the league), and posted a 1.98 ERA (2nd best among relievers with as many innings as Taylor). Taylor also made a difference, being the successful closer on a 102-win Paige-division winning Madison team. -------------------------------------------------------------------- 1998 Fireman of the Year - Mike Jackson, Seattle Decaf ERA OPS OPSvL OPSvR W L S G GS CG SHO INN H R ER BB K HR GDP BF 2.44 .612 .688 .512 3 7 45 65 0 0 0 70.0 54 21 19 14 59 7 13 271 Mike Jackson was an important part of the 87-win Decaf's entry into the playoffs this year. Jackson led all relievers in saves with 45 and save percentage with 91.8%, and posted a 2.44 ERA as well. But Jackson's importance to the Decaf was reflected in their close game results. Seattle was 30-22 in 1-run games and 14-10 when they were tied after 7 innings. A lesser closer would have made those numbers worse, and without Jackson Seattle would have likely been watching the playoffs from home.